Kiesel Law LLP News

Paul Kiesel Interviewed by New York Times Regarding Amtrak Train Crash

The New York Times reached out to Mr. Kiesel as part of its continuing news coverage of the tragic Amtrak train crash. Mr. Kiesel, who was liaison counsel for the litigation that arose from the 2008 Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth, spoke about both the Congressionally imposed cap on damages and the technology that could have prevented the crash. The most recent article stated:

With eight people killed and scores injured, the claims could easily exceed $200 million. Paul R. Kiesel, a lawyer who represented victims in the 2008 Metrolink crash in California, said the money would not go far enough to compensate victims whose lives will never be the same.

“The cap will without question come into play, and those who were injured will undoubtedly receive a fraction of their actual damages — economic, medical, lost wages and otherwise,” he said.

In a previous article, Mr. Kiesel stated:

“The positive train control system would have prevented the deaths,” said Kiesel . “It would have slowed the train down and taken the human element out of it.” The system automatically overrides errors made by human rail employees.

Kiesel says that railroads should have long ago installed positive train control technology. With it, there is no question the accident would not have occurred.